Method of forming ribs on sheet metal.



M. S. GOLDSMHH.

METHOD OF FORMING- RIBS 0N SHEET METAL. APPLICATION FILED JAN.2, 1915.

1,244,598. Patented Oct. 30,1917.

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TEE T METHOD or roar/[Iris 313s oNsHnErMErAL.

To all whom it may concermf Be it known that I, Max S. GOLDSMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Forming Ribs on Sheet Metal, of which the following isfa specification.

This invention relates to .a new and'improved method of forming dove'tailedribs in metal sheets.

Sheet metal employed as reinforcing members for concrete, or as metal lath, is usually provided withstiffening ribs" or cor rugations Y which are rolled, stamped, or otherwise pressed into the metal. It has been found by practical experience that dove-tailed 01? wedge shaped ribs are more desirable than other forms of ribs since they not only stiffen the sheet, but also aid in holding the concrete, plastering or similar material in place relatively to the metal. However, such ribs are the most diflicultto form and with previous methods several distinct and separate operations were necessary in the formation of each rib. 'These operations must be performed one at a time on each rib, and necessitate complicated machines as well as a great deal of handling of the sheets. Sheet metal having dovetailed or wedge shaped ribs is therefore more costly than metal having ribs of simpler but less effective form. f

Therefore, an object of my invention is to reduce the cost of production. of metal sheets having dove-tailed ribs, or ribs of similar contour formed in them. I accomplish this as will hereinafter be more fully set forth, by reducing the number of separate operations necessary in the formation of the ribbed sheet and by reducing the amount of handling of the metal during the rib forming operation. In addition to this, the method embodying my invention may be carried forward with less complicated machines than the methods which have previously been employed.

This and other objects are attained by the method described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompany ing drawings in which Figure 1 is an end view of a sheet hav. ing incomplete ribs formed thereon, with the corrugations formed therein, which are produced during the first operation cars w ns o t nvention.-

Specification of LettersPatent. i

Application filedJanu'ary 2 1915. Serial No. 91. 9

Patented Fig.2 "is an end view of a sheet having the completed dove-tailed' ribs formed thereon in thefinal operationo'f carrying out my invention. I

Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofthe dies em-- ployed in forming the ribs shown" on the sheet in Fig. 1, with a portion of a sheet locatedbetween them. 7 I

Fig. 4 is a fragmental' elevation of the two rolls employed in performing the'final step in, producing wedge shaped ribs on a sheet, in my improved method, with a portion of a sheet having a completed rib located between them.

My. invention consists in first forming in the sheeta rib or corrugation of the shape disclosed in Fig. 1, andthen distorting the corrugation so that it forms the dove-tailed rib shown in Fig; 2.

ing strains during the rib forming opera-f tion, but it does not subject the metal to ten sional strains or to strains which 'detri-e The operation of'forming ribs in sheet metal distorts the sheet and consequently:

subjects the metal of the sheet tocross bend-= the rib during the rib forming operation.

and the sheet is contracted in a direction at right angles to the direction of the ribs,

so that its length in a direction at right angles to the ribs, is reduced in forming each rib. In forming the rib on a sheet'of sheet, of a shapesuch as shown in Fig. 1

which may be distorted or pressed into a dove-tailed rib without taking up more of the metal of the sheet or without in any way distorting the metal of the sheet located adjacent to the rib.

The corrugation shown in Fig. 1, has side walls which are substantially at right angles to the sheet and the intermediate portion or crest between the side walls is depressed so that a substantially V-shaped longitudinally extending groove 6 having a curved apex, is formed between the parallel side walls. This results in the formation of two distinct parallel grooves on the re verse side of the sheet. The metal between the two parallel grooves, however, does not extend flush with the metal of the" sheet and its apex is preferably rounded off. into a Each-corrugation 5 is of sucha shape that if it cannot be conveniently formed by meansof-presses, it maybe formed by means of; rolls orby'means 0t two 'or more sets of tires or: presses;

5-by means of rolls rather thanby means of-dies g In Fig; AI have shown a pair of rolls 10 and 11 which may be'employed in distorting or fiattenin-gthe intermediate portions of the corrugations 5. The roll 10 is provided with a series of: circumterentially extending grooves 1 2 and the cooperating roll- 11 is provided with a series of circumferentially extending ridgesl3which during the rolling operation project intothe corrugationseand also int-o-the groove. l2, and cooperate with the bottom of the groove in fiatteningout the intermediate portion Got each corrugation. It will be understood that any desired number of ridges and grooves may be employed on the rolls and that the ridges are'preferably of the, same width as the distance between-the sideportions of the corrugations 5 and therefore aid-in preventing the lower edges of the corrugations 5 from moving inwardly toward each other during the operation of flatten: ing the intermediate portions 6. As illustrated; the intermediate portions 14 and 15 of the rollslO and- 11, between the grooves Under; some conditions it may be desirable to form the corrugatlons' to buckle between the ribs, It. will, of

course, be understood that the; crests orv intermediate portions of the corrugationsh, may be flattened one at a time, or, that several may be simultaneously flattened by means'of a press, andthat thepress may be so constructed that it will support and hold the portions of the sheet betweenflthe corrugations, during the flattening operation, for

the purpose of preventing the sheet troni buckling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim'is:

A method of forming dove-tailed ribs in sheet metal, which, consists in forming a rib with walls at right angles to the sheet and with. a portion intermediate its walls bent inward toward the sheet sufiiciently to form an angle between the inwardly bent portion and the said right angle wall materially smaller than the same angle in the com' pleted article, and compressing the intermediate portion to a position parallel to'the sheet, whereby the walls are turned to posi tions inclined to the sheet.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day of December, 1914.

MAX s. GOLDSMITH.

Witnesses:

WALTER F. MURRAY, W. THORNTON Boen'nr.

Cop ies'of thisipatent maybe obtained for, five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner, of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

